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So basically, labels are now treating music production as an optimization problem. And because they're terrible at this type of optimization problem, they're g

So basically, labels are now treating music production as an optimization problem. And because they're terrible at this type of optimization problem, they're getting stuck in a local minimum (the space is anything but convex), which happens to be repetitive, awful, and targeted at the largest common denominator. Treating music as an optimization problem may not be a bad thing in itself, the issue is being unable to solve the problem properly.

wmkn 11y ago
Are they really terrible at it? You seem to assume that the global minimum to the problem is an artistically perfect song. For record labels the global minimum is the song that makes the most money. If that song happens to be repetitive and awful, so be it.
- fchollet 11y ago
  If so many people are unhappy with the state of the pop music landscape, then that is not a global minimum. The space of possible music is immense, you could invent so many new genres. By not exploring the unknown, they are missing out. Iterating endlessly on a single recipe is just not how you build a sustainable artistic business. It makes money in the near term, but it is doomed in the long term. The music labels and Hollywood will have to realize this at some point.
  - AustinG08 11y ago
    The music labels will never have to 'realize' this because, short of a cultural revolution, it will always make the most money. I'm a musician, I am very picky about the music I listen to. My wife? Not quite as picky. She will hear a song on the radio, like it, and become a fan of that song. Her, along with probably 90%+ of the general public don't carry the same snobbery that I do, and have no guilt liking a Nickelback or a One Republic song. Edit: I meant One Direction, but same thing.
    - girvo 11y ago
      I'm a music snob, but One Republic have a couple of decent pop-rock-ish tracks. Your point is very spot on though. I presented and DJ'd on a community radio show for a few years, and had a bit of a cult following around here, however my main focus was local talent, and was decidedly not the mainstream nor even the mainstream-indie like Triple J plays. My audience was limited by that. People don't really want to hear new things on the whole, and if they do, they want the new thing to sound like the old one.

wmkn 11y ago

Are they really terrible at it? You seem to assume that the global minimum to the problem is an artistically perfect song. For record labels the global minimum is the song that makes the most money. If that song happens to be repetitive and awful, so be it.

fchollet 11y ago
If so many people are unhappy with the state of the pop music landscape, then that is not a global minimum. The space of possible music is immense, you could invent so many new genres. By not exploring the unknown, they are missing out. Iterating endlessly on a single recipe is just not how you build a sustainable artistic business. It makes money in the near term, but it is doomed in the long term. The music labels and Hollywood will have to realize this at some point.
- AustinG08 11y ago
  The music labels will never have to 'realize' this because, short of a cultural revolution, it will always make the most money. I'm a musician, I am very picky about the music I listen to. My wife? Not quite as picky. She will hear a song on the radio, like it, and become a fan of that song. Her, along with probably 90%+ of the general public don't carry the same snobbery that I do, and have no guilt liking a Nickelback or a One Republic song. Edit: I meant One Direction, but same thing.
  - girvo 11y ago
    I'm a music snob, but One Republic have a couple of decent pop-rock-ish tracks. Your point is very spot on though. I presented and DJ'd on a community radio show for a few years, and had a bit of a cult following around here, however my main focus was local talent, and was decidedly not the mainstream nor even the mainstream-indie like Triple J plays. My audience was limited by that. People don't really want to hear new things on the whole, and if they do, they want the new thing to sound like the old one.